Ladder bracket



Jan. 7, 1969 c. E. BAKER 3,426,486

LADDER BRACKET Filed Dec. 8, 1966 INVENTOR CHARLES E. BAKER FIG. 3 gW /ZKM:

ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,420,486 LADDER BRACKET Charles Baker, Lansing, Mich, assignor of one-half to Dwane L. Davis, Lansing, Mich. Filed Dec. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 600,184 U.S. Cl. 2482l0 Int. Cl. E06c 7/14 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The art having to do with ladder supported paint cans is well developed as can be seen from disclosure such as Patent No. 3,104,859 to O. F. Hoelzel and Patent No. 2,735,641 to E. W. Joecks, which references are believed to be the most pertinent available.

These references, taken together, show ladder brackets which hold a paint can in a convenient position outboard of a ladder, within convenient reach of a painter on the ladder. The feature of a swivelling hoop is presented, which maintains the bucket in a vertical orientation, independently of the lean of the ladder, to prevent spilling of the bucket contents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My invention comprises a ladder bracket which hangs from a ladder rung by a hook portion. This hanger is so twisted to lie also against the upper face of the adjacent ladder rail, to receive additional support for its heavy paint bucket load. A wing element extends from the twisted hanger, and bears against the outside of the ladder rail, to minimize the tendency of the hanger to overturn, under the outboardly cantilevered paint bucket. The hook and wing are adjustably spaced apart to facilitate snugging them onto any width of ladder rail.

The present endeavor is believed to embody certain structural modifications which give rise to a substantial overall improvement in the operation of such above mentioned ladder bracket paint can holders. For example, the herein described apparatus includes structure which positively grips the ladder rail to minimize the nudesirable effects of the twisting and bending forces created by the weight of the full paint can cantilevered outboard from the ladder. Moreover this gripping structure is adjustable to embrace snugly any width of ladder rail, making the entire apparatus completely transferable between various sizes of ladders, and equally stable thereon.

In addition the present apparatus is suitable for cantilevering a paint bucket from either the right or left side of the ladder equally well without the necessity of any adjustments to the apparatus. The swivelling loop which holds the paint bucket is rotated upon an axis firmly journalled at a spaced apart duality of points that provide a rigid cantilevering of the collar without concentrating the entire cantilever effect at a single journal.

The pivoting structure of the swivel loop is held away from the ladder structure so that it does not frictionally interfere with rotation, and the collar is geometrically formed somewhat out of round so as to give a second degree of rotational freedom to the paint can, in addition to that provided by the swivelling of the loop.

Consequently it is an object of this invention to pro- "ice vide a device of simple and inexpensive construction, to hold a paint can or similar container supported in an easily accessible orientation for a person working on a ladder.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a bucket holding ladder bracket having only three es-- sential parts which co-operate to maintain a paint bucket in constantly upright, convenient disposition for use by a worker on a ladder.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a superiorly swivelling collar which does away with excessive support structure, and the attendant cost and clumsiness associated therewith, and develops an excellent stability relative to the ladder structure upon which it is mounted.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a swivelling loop type bucket holder in which the pivoting structure is maintained away from interference with the ladder structure to which the apparatus is attached.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a bucket holding apparatus which utilizes a positive grip over a ladder rail and is adjustable to register exactly with the width thereof, also being very conveniently alternated between the right hand and left hand outboard side of an erected ladder.

Still another object of this invention is to introduce a ladder bracket which provides a double degree of rotational freedom to prevent spilling of a supported bucket of paint or other fluid, by compensating not only for the lean forward of a ladder, but also compensation for small tilts thereof, to the outboard left or right hand directions.

Still other objects will be evident to those skilled in the art, upon an examination of the following description, drawings and claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the device of the present invention, showing to best advantage the stabilizing wing and swivelling collar of the device, and their respective attachment and positions relative to the bracket element, which is shown as formed from a single length of strap material, e.g. metal.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation view of a ladder bracket of the present invention, taken through the ladder on the section line IIII of FIGURE 3, showing a paint can being supportably encircled by the swivel element of the present invention, showing the bracket element attached to a rung (in section) of the ladder and showing also the standoff tab holding the axis of the swivel element away from frictional engagement with the slanted rail of the ladder.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation view of the device of the present invention showing the slot and thumb screw which provide the adjustability of the apparatus for snug embrace of various widths of ladder rail, and also showing the journalling of the swivel shaft in the journal tabs of the bracket element.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation view of the device of the present invention, taken on a section similar to that of FIGURE 2, except the bracket is shown on the right, rather than left, side of a ladder where the hanger element is against the ladder rail and is seen to form a lesser angle with the ladder rail when hooked over the ladder rung, as opposed to the sharper angle of FIGURE 2 due to the left side disposition of the hanger element.

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of my invention.

In FIGURE 1 can be seen all the parts of the present invention and their manner of assembly. A hanger element is denoted generally by numeral 11 and is seen to be formed substantially in two separate arm portions at right angles to one another. The first portion is the vertical hanger arm 13 bent over at the top into hook 15.

3 The second portion of the hanger 11 is the horizontal journal arm 17 which extends at a right angle from the vertical arm 13. Each end of the journal arm bends upward into the vertical journal tabs 19 which are joined by the transverse central portion 20 of the horizontal arm 17. The journal tabs 19 are each provided with a central hole 21 which receives a shaft yet to be described. It may be noted that the entire hanger 11 is formed from a single length of strap material, preferably metal stock, which is bent over at one end to form the hook twisted 90 degrees at the lower end and then bent twice at right angles to provide the tabs 19 on arm 17 extending horizontally away from the vertical arm 13. A slot 23 is provided lengthwise of the central portion of arm 17.

Wing element 24 is seen to be an elongate flat strip forming a double wing with a dihedral angle between an attachment span portion 25 and tab span portion 27. A hole 29 is provided through attachment span 25 by which the entire wing 24 is connected flush against the bottom of horizontal arm 17 via hex head screw 28 which passes through slot 23 and hole 29, and is secured by thumb nut 30. The upper face of the tab span 27 has a standoff tab 31 welded or otherwise secured flush against its face adjacent the dihedral and extending somewhat outwardly to one side of the wing 24.

Attention is now directed to the swivel element 33 seen depicted in exploded perspective of FIGURE 1. The swivel element comprises a collar, hoop, or ring 41 and shaft 35 projecting radially outward from a circumferential point thereon. The shaft 35 is journalled through each of the holes 21 in the journal tabs 19. Swivel element 33 is maintained securely in this rotatably journalled relation by a snap ring 37 which engages groove 39 on the shaft 35. In this orientation the ring 41 is suited to receive a substantial weight, for example a full paint can, and maintain it vertically oriented under its own weight, conveniently cantilevered outwardly from the ladder.

Operation of the device is depicted in FIGURE 2 which shows the hook 15 of the bracket element slung over a ladder ring 43 and the swivelling ring 41 supporting a paint can 45. It is noted that the ring 41 is sized to encircle the circumference of the can 45 in a slip fit, bearing the bucket weight at the nodes 48 which connect the paint can to its arched wire handle 50.

The device is shown in FIGURE 2 as it appears when utilized at the left side of a ladder, i.e. on the left hand of a person standing on the ladder. When used in this situation the hook 15 of the bracket element is slung under the rung 43, which relation causes the vertical hanger arm 13 to depend from the rung at such an angle that the swivel loop shaft 35 would bear against the upper face of the ladder rail 49, were it not for the standoff tab 31 which holds the shaft away from such engagement. This is the sole purpose of the standoff tab, i.e., to prevent frictional interference by the ladder rail with the free rotation of the swivel shaft 35.

When the ladder bracket is utilized in the right hand position as shown in FIGURE 4, it is seen that the hook 15 slings over the top of the ladder rung 43 from which position the vertical hanger arm 13 forms a smaller angle with the ladder rail 49, and consequently the edge of the horizontal arm 17 engages the ladder rail and thereby holds the shaft 35 away therefrom. Thus no standoff tab 31 is required on this side of the journal arm.

It should be noted that the described apparatus works equally well in either the right hand or left hand situation, and it easily and quickly converts from one to the other, there being no need to make any structural change or modification to the relative positions or parts of the device.

The device of the instant disclosure provides, as one of its features of improvement, an adjustable positive ladder rail clamping action which is best appreciated by reference to FIGURE 3. The ladder rail 49 is seen to be snugly clamped between the vertical hanger arm 13 and the tab span 27 of the wing 24. The snug gripping of the ladder rail 49, on either side, by the wing 24 and vertical hanger arm 13 provides positive resistance to twisting moments under the substantial weight of a full bucket of paint at 45. This substantial load, cantilevered outboard from the ladder, produces a substantial tendency for the apparatus to twist away from its proper disposition with respect to the ladder. This tendency is resisted in a supe- .rior fashion by the instant structure because the ladder rail is engaged at three sides by three edges of the bracket structure, which resists disorientation of the apparatus in three directions, i.e. the tendency of the bucket weight to rotate the apparatus on the rung from which it depends, and thereby cause the lower bracket structure to bear (1) downward on the upper face of the ladder rail, (2) outwardlyiagainst the inner face of the ladder rail, or (3) inwardly against the outside face of the rail. The double wing element 24 operates to stabilize against these tendencies with equal effect whether the device is employed to the right or left side of the ladder. This is in contrast to prior art devices in which, if a stabilizing member (such as wing 24) was used it was neither adjustable nor reversible from left to right usage.

Moreover, as seen in FIGURES 2 and 4, each span of the wing element of the present invention describes an acute (as contrasted with obtuse) angle with the vertical hanger arm 13, which relation counteracts the tendency of the container to rotate away from the painter i.e. to twist on an axis along the longitude of the vertical hanger arm 13. This undesirable tendency increases with the angle of lean assumed by the ladder, and has its maximum effect as the ladder approaches a horizontal position. The advantage of the acutely angled wing is that the ladder may actually be carried horizontally with the bucket attached and its contents unspilled.

The most useful feature of the stabilizer span is its adjustability to any size ladder. The wing 24 is laterally adjustable by loosening nut 30 and sliding the wing, with its hex head screw, along the slot 23 so as to bring both hanger 13 and wing 24 into a parallel, snugly embracing relation about the ladder rail 49. This adjustment is made, of course, prior to loading the ring 41 with a paint can 45. Then, when the paint can is inserted, the bracket element slides downwardly over the ladder rail 49 to pre clude any sloppiness of fit under the twisting forces of the outboard weight at 45. The feature of adjustability also permits the user to compensate for sag of the apparatus due to prolonged use and allows the device to be adjusted perfectly to any size ladder where the ladder rails may have varying widths. The end result is that the entire apparatus stands stably and rigidly away from the ladder structure, and eliminates sagging, twisting, and other interference with smooth swivelling of the hoop structure.

An alternative embodiment utilizes a ring 41 that is not perfectly circular, but rather elliptical (see FIGURE 5). For example the dimension of the diameter coincident with the shaft 35 (major axis AA) might be 7 inches, and the diameter at right angles thereto (minor axis BB) 6% inches. A circular pail is necessarily engaged or supported in the neighborhood of only two points of the elliptical collar 41', rather than around its entire circumference. The two support points are obviously located at the extremities of the collars minor axis BB, and the paint bucket swings freely thereon inside the collar 41 and relative thereto. The bucket then has two degrees of rotational freedom: (1) rotation with the collar 41 on its shaft 35, and (2) a rotation at right angles to the shaft rotation, when the bucket pivots at the extremities of the minor axis B-B of the collar 41'. Thus the bucket is kept perfectly vertical no matter what the orientation of the ladder.

The normal rotation of shaft 35 compensates for the angle of the ladder up against a house or other structure against which it leans. This lean of course may take on an angle of as much as 30 degrees or more depending upon various factors. However, in addition to this angle of lean, a ladder may assume an angle of tilt, to the right or the left, due to the irregularities in the ground contour, or due to a painters need to reach an inaccessible point. The tilt would tend to spill the contents of a full paint bucket just as does the leaning of the ladder. Consequently, in order to compensate for small angles of tilt, the collar is elliptically shaped to permit a small degree of rotation of the paint bucket about the shorter collar axis, through the two handle nodes 48.

Still another feature of this novel ladder bracket is the doubly journalled shaft 35. Prior known devices exhibit a unitary point of cantilever support for the heavily loaded collar 41. This cantilever point would also act as the journal or pivot point for the swivelling collar. The large bending force taken up at the pivot point would result in excessive frictional resistance to free rotation of the swivel element on its shaft 35. The present invention corrects this limitation by providing a plurality of journal points. The specific arrangement shown for illustrative purposes utilizes a pair of journal points, causing the total moment force of a heavy cantilevered container to be distributed between the separate journals.

The ring or collar is formed of durable material, for example strap steel or an aluminum extrusion which requires no support at the outboardmost circumferential point. Such support is necessary in prior art devices where a U-shaped member traverses under the paint bucket to provide support for the collar 41 at its outboard extremity.

Recapitulating, the proposed combination consists of a simple bucket holding ladder bracket comprised of only three functioning parts which serve to give double journalled swivelling to the paint bucket mass, and effectively minimize the disadvantage of the cantilevered effect thereof and the frictional resistance to rotation caused thereby. The rotating mechanism is effectively held off from interference with the ladder structure, particularly the ladder rail 49. The structure adjustably fits varying size ladders and ladder rails, with a positive, moment resisting, grip thereon which gives multi-directional stability to the cantilevered apparatus. A double degree of rotational freedom for the paint can is introduced in order to compensate for tilting of the ladder to the right or left, as well as the normal lean thereof.

Having described an operative embodiment of my invention, improvements, modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the present disclosure, and such improvements,

a swivelling bucket retainer having a hoop portion for supporting encirclement of a bucket, and a swivel shaft extending radially outwardly from 5 said hoop, and through said holes in said journal ears on said rail arm, for double, swivelling, cantilevered support thereon; and

a stabilizing wing extending substantially perpendicularly from the horizontal arm of said hanger to 'be disposed transversely of an adjacent rail of a ladder, and spaced from the hook portion of said hanger at least a distance equal to the width of said ladder rail.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 in which the stabilizing wing further comprises:

a double stabilizing wing having two spans, each extending in substantially opposed directions from said horizontal hanger arm, so that a ladder bracket may be positioned on either rail of said ladder; and

wherein stand off means are provided on said horizontal hanger arm to separate said arm from said ladder rail sufliciently to avoid interference of said rail with said swivel shaft.

3. A self-levelling bucket holder for use in combina- 25 tion with a ladder and a bucket of the kind having two diametrically opposite nodes projecting from the exterior surface of the bucket, adjacent the upper end thereof; comprising:

a hanger element having a first portion formed to hook over a rung of the ladder, and a second horizontal portion formed to be transversely supportable across the upper face of an adjacent ladder rail;

shaft journalling means disposed in a spaced apart relation on said second, horizontal portion of said hanger element;

a hoop, formed somewhat out-of-circular so as to have a largest and a smallest diameter;

shaft means extending outward from said hoop, co-

incidentally with said largest diameter thereof, said shaft means rotatably supported by said shaft journalling means of said hanger element;

whereby the bucket may be oriented in said hoop both to swivel therewith about the hoop axis, and to swing on its nodes about an axis perpendicular to the hoop swivel axis.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,684,226 7/1954 Sundell et al 248-294 2,735,641 2/1956 Joecks 248-210 2,912,205 11/1959 Toune 248210 3,104,859 9/1963 Hoelzel 248210 3,131,900 5/1964 Anderson et al. 248-2l0 JOHN PETO, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

